More and more aftershocks are hitting the same area and those still there are living in constant fear. Yesterday afternoon at least 10 aftershocks were felt areas of Sararipiqui. The smallest was 2.7 and and the largest was 4.5 (about 2 PM yesterday) on the Richter Scale.  Many could be felt here in the Central Valley.

The weather is not helping. While the Central Valley enjoys near perfect weather, the mountainous areas in and around Sararipiqui and the Poas volcano are suffering rain almost daily. The risk of mud slides is high and there is some talk that the government may have to evacuate the area. Because some areas can now only be reached by helicopter, and the rain and low cloud cover prohibit that, an evacuation would indeed be a daunting task.

I have received several emails from people planning trips to Costa Rica, all asking if it is safe to travel here. The overall answer is yes. Clearly, however,  if your travel plans included a day trip the the Poas volcano or you were planning to raft on Sararipiqui river,  planning to stay at the Peace Lodge and visit the La Paz waterfall, you should certainly delete those from your itinerary. Check with your travel agent as to when these attractions will again be available.

Currently, the death toll is at 23. As there is still a list of missing, this will probably rise as searchers now have given up the work.

An interesting comparison was made in today’s Diario Extra, one of Costa Rica’s Spanish language newspapers. It is the equivalent (in released power) of seventeen atomic bombs of the type dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. That sort of puts it into perspective huh?

If the quake had not occurred so deep in the earth, there probably would not even be much of a Costa Rica.

Rescue workers are still on the scenes searching for more bodies beneath the millions of tons of earth. At this point, six days after the event, it will be astonishing if any more bodies are found and a miracle if any are alive.

The death toll stands at about 21.  I say “about” as different sources report different figures.

I verified that the town of Cinchona de Sarapiquí, Heredia is gone.  The photo at right shows what is left. In today’s papers there have been comments from engineers who blame the horrendous damage on poor construction of these homes when the homes were build.  I am sure that right now, several hundred Ticos are slapping their foreheads and saying, ” Ahhh!  So that was the problem!”

Earthquake experts are now saying that previously inactive faults in that area have become active and that is the cause of many aftershocks everyone is feeling. Most are pretty mild and felt only if you are sensitive to them, though sometime in the middle of the night, my wife and I were awakened feeling the bed rocking a bit.  Certainly nothing like last week, but everyone is still on edge.

Above is a graphic of the faults in that area.  It shows the eight faults in and around the area of the eruption. If the experts are right, there will be many more aftershocks and those shocks may well activate more faults.

This will probably be my last post on the earthquake thing unless something really important comes up.

A list of all posts on this topic can be found here.

New Quakes

Five more earthquakes hit Costa Rica last night and in the early morning hours.  All occurred in the same general area and the massive 6.2 from last Thursday. The biggest was 4.3, not a biggie, but enough strike great fear into the people of that already badly affected area.

If you are interested in an interactive web page showing who felt what during the many quakes, click here.

Poas Volcano

If that were not enough, the Poas volcano had a small eruption this morning.  Thursday’s earthquake was centered only a few miles from the volcano, normally dormant.  Should Poas become active once more, the implications are truly scary for the thousands who live nearby, including my wife’s sister whom we visit 2-3 times each month.

Gone!

The town of Cinchona de Sarapiquí, Heredia has apparently simply been removed from the map of Costa Rica.  It no longer exists. For many years, I have wanted to visit the La Paz waterfalls.  It was a HUGE tourist attraction here in Costa Rica, and if I understood the news correctly this morning, it is gone!  I tried to verify the facts in the paper, but could not.  My  wife, though, verified that I had heard correctly.Also gone is the San Rafael waterfall.

CORRECTION:  La Paz is NOT gone! My error!

The river Sarapiqui has been badly damaged and is running thick with mud and dead fish.  This too was a very popular attraction for those tourists who wanted some great white water rafting.

The Environment

A disaster in and of itself. The damage done to the environment in the affected area is enormous and affects not only the wildlife and the natural beauty of the area, it will have a profound affect on eco-tourism.

The earthquake has altered the biological corridor San Juan-La Selva, placing  important wildlife at risk.  This includes  mammals, birds and reptiles.  Creatures such as  jaguars, lapas, jaguars, tapir and monkeys  are just some of the animals that will feel the effect of the earthquake.

Giselle Monge,  director of the School of Environmental Sciences, National University,  feels that it will take at least a decade to recover the original ecological balance in the area around Vara Blanca Poás and other sites belonging to  San Juan-La Selva biological corridor.  A biological corridor is a geographic area that ensures the maintenance of species diversity and ecological and evolutionary processes, facilitating conservation.  The collapse of the mountain certainly caused total destruction of the habitat for some species. The Biological Corridor San Juan-La Selva is known for its large quantity of almond trees which provide habitat for the Great Green Macaw.   The extensive wetlands are also considered critical to the survival of the manatee.

With the arrival of the rainy season around May-June, the now unprotected mountainsides will collapse. Soil will become saturated and unstable.

Experts are also predicting a change in the flow of rivers  which certainly will affect the habitat of some species of reptiles, animals and plants growing alongside the rivers.

The festival in Palmares has been postponed at least a week.

And although I know this pales compared to the rest, the Angel (foods) factory near La Paz has been nearly destroyed affecting a lot of workers. They make, without a doubt, the BEST pineapple marmalade there is. It also points out that even though many people survived, there is no work in the area. I expect an increase in crime in and around the zone.  So sad.

Latest Numbers:

16  dead
22  missing
1.058  people in CAJA hospitals
128.135  directly affected
2.300  homeless
100  injured

Estimated damage: $100 million

For more Costa Rica news (in English) click here.

Earthquakes never bothered me before. The house would rock and roll and everyone would call everyone to find out if they felt it.  Kind of exciting really. There was always damage somewhere in Costa Rica,  and occasionally, someone would be seriously hurt or die, but for some reason, I was detached from it. Not any more.

Latest stats look better than they are and do not tell the whole story:

Most recent death count: 14 (way down from earlier but I am not at all sure we have the final number)

Missing and presumed dead: 23

Injured: 100

These sound like low numbers… until you read this:

Shelters set up: 21  housing 2,238 people

Affected: 128,135 people in 61 communities of Alajuela and Heredia.

128,135 people out of a population of only 4 million people. A bit over 3%.   If these figures were translated to equal numbers reflecting the US population of about 305 million people, that number would be almost 10 million people! Does that get your attention or what?

Then, there are the news broadcasts. Mothers and fathers weeping. Children unable to cope. Homes destroyed. Families suffering.

One man this morning talking about how he must start again, but has no idea how to do that as the bank will not forgive his mortgage.  Of course they won’t. Tears rolling down his cheeks.

People need help.

YOU can help those affected by the earthquake, by donating stuff  to the Cruz Roja Costa Rica.

Needed are  non-perishable food, canned milk, bottled water and toiletries.

Banco Nacional de Costa Rica has set up accounts: 100100-7 (colones) and 68666-7 (U.S. dollars) to receive monetary donations.

The Costa Rican people need your support.  I mean really.

Those of us who live here deal with the many earthquakes.  Just a fact of life.  Those who live or have lived in California know all about it. The vast majority are small shocks (3-4) that rock the bed, make some noise and are generally not big deals.  Buildings in Costa Rica generally are built with a LOT of Rebar and concrete and most are very safe and suffer little damage. There are, however, many homes, especially in the country and areas not prosperous, that fall apart in the quakes.

This earthquake was nasty… 6.2. It was supposedly the strongest in 150 years… though I am not sure how they know that as the Richter Scale was not developed until the 1930’s.

There have been over 2,000 aftershocks of which we felt maybe 30. That in itself is unusual.

It did a lot of damage.  It hit on Thursday just after 1 PM. The most serious damage was as a result of landslides and homes just shifting and falling down hills and mountainsides. Many people were trapped under falling debris.

It was an odd quake.  I was taking a nap and was deeply (I think!) asleep when it hit. The entire house was moving and I do not mean a little. I called for the housekeeper who was really upset and we stood in a doorway until it passed.  Maybe 40 seconds or so. Most quales are kinda fun… this one was not.

Only damage to the house were some cracks in the patio.  Nothing in the house even fell… truly amazing as it was hard to stnd up!

I was lucky enough to get a call through to my wife whose office is on the 4th floor of Calderon Guardia Hospital.  She was scared but OK. The third floor suffered a lot of damage though.  No dead.

More soon… promise!